5 Olympic hopefuls and their mums on the drive to win
AS Mother’s Day approaches, most of us will be showing our appreciation for the many sacrifices our mums have made over the years to help us achieve the best we can in life.
But some mothers go beyond the call of duty and with athletes around the world gearing up for the Olympics in Rio this summer, we asked some of our own Olympic hopefuls how their mother influenced their sporting success.
PLAIN SAILING
from Dublin will be sailing for Ireland in the Olympics and says her mother, Cathy McAleavey — who sailed in the 1988 Olympics — was hugely instrumental in helping her to reach the top of her chosen field.
“Mum played a huge part in my sport success — she taught me to sail when I was six and is such a good sailor I never had any fear.
“When I was younger I didn’t appreciate the time and effort she put into getting me and my siblings around the country and even around Europe so we could compete — looking back I can’t believe the patience and energy she had to do it all.
“I have learned so much from my mum, the biggest being that if you believe you can do something, you should put in the work and just do it — she also gave me invaluable advice leading up to the London Olympics as she had experienced it herself.”
Cathy believes parents should encourage their children to pursue their goals.
“Con and I continued competitive sailing throughout the kids’ formative years so the whole family was always involved in sport. I’ve always believed that if you want to do something it’s good to do it well and Annalise’s involvement in the 2012 Olympics was fantastic.”
EARLY RISERS
from Limerick is an Olympic swimmer who will be competing for Ireland in Rio.
She says her mother, Mary, taught her that anything is possible with hard work and determination.
“Mom has been a major influence in the success of my swimming career, making so many sacrifices to ensure I got everything I needed in order to succeed — waking up at 4.30am to drive me to the pool four mornings a week and staying on the pool deck when required, despite being tired and having other children to look after.
“She also spent weekends at a pool and ensured there was food on the table, or in the car, to eat before training.
“Probably the most important thing my mom (and dad) did was to stand back and let me enjoy swimming and said if I decided not to swim, she would still be supportive.
“Mom taught me that you have to work hard, be grateful for what you have, be humble and also that nothing is impossible.
“When I was 12, I said I wanted to go to the Olympics and no-one ever said that I couldn’t. That was very powerful and I will always remember that all goals are attainable if you set your mind to it.”
Mary says her daughter has reached success because she worked so hard to achieve it.
“I am extremely proud of Fiona’s achievements. I know the hard work and single-mindedness needed to become a successful athlete.
"And I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that her upbringing, with all its positive influences, has produced a strong, confident caring young woman who not only knows what it takes to succeed but is prepared to do whatever it takes to become the best that she can be.”
NET FLICKS
became the first Irish woman to win an Olympic badminton match when she competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
The Donegal woman will be representing Ireland in Rio and says her mother, Audrey, was a huge influence on her success.
“My mother has been there for me through absolutely everything — listening to every one of my ups and downs but, most importantly, guiding me through each one.
"She has always believed in me no matter how crazy my career got — but I know whether I am successful or not, she will always be extremely proud.
“When I was 17 I moved to Sweden to work with a coach who I believed could make me a better player as there was no setup at the time in Ireland.
"This was a big risk as I didn’t know if I was good enough to make it and it wasn’t funded, so I was fully reliant on my parents. But they gave me every opportunity and never let me quit when I hit hurdles.
“Overall my mum taught me how to appreciate and be thankful for everything I have — and she continually reminds me to focus on the positives and work on the negatives.”
Mum Audrey is proud as punch of her daughter.
“From a very young age Chloe was into all sports but she excelled at badminton.
"I am very proud of everything she has done but a big highlight for me was watching her compete at the Olympics knowing how much work she put in to get there and how much she really wanted to be an Olympian — it made me feel very proud to be her Mum.”
STAYING ON TRACK
from Carlow is Ireland’s fastest man on the track.
The 21-year-old is hoping to qualify for the Olympics having been trained by his mother Patricia (Ammond) who won multiple titles herself.
“Everyone knows mam is coaching me. She taught me everything I know and led me to where I am today.
"I’m obviously aware of how good her own sporting career was and I want to follow her footsteps.
"She has got me to a few European and national finals and has helped me become Ireland’s fastest man.
“Sometimes the mammy factor comes into training, because she wants to mind me — but I suppose I have to hurt when I am training.
“We are a very sporting family and we do talk about athletics a lot but we can also put it aside and chat about other things too.
"My mother and I have a good relationship and the training is working well and leading to results.”
Patricia agrees and says she has really enjoyed having the opportunity to coach her talented son.
“Coaching Marcus has been very special, firstly because it has been great spending time with him and seeing him improve over time, but also because I have been able to relive my own days on the track.
"He showed potential from a very young age and seeing how far he has come makes me feel very proud.”
CAN-OE ATTITUDE
from Kildare is hoping to represent Ireland at the Olympics.
As a canoeist, she inherited her talent from her parents (Tom and Angie) and says her mother has always been right behind her.
“My mother was a major influence on my sporting success. She used to train when she was pregnant with me and I first sat in a boat by myself when I was three-years-old.
"She sacrificed her own life for her children and drove me to training twice a day, six times a week — making sure I had healthy nutritious food to keep me going.
“She organised for me to go on training camps with international teams so I could produce the best results possible and has supported me at every one of my major international competitions.
"It’s impossible to put in to words the amount I have learnt from her. She has always been my rock along with being my best friend living my dreams with me.”
Angie says she is very proud of her daughter’s achievements.
“From a very young age Jenny was competitive and determined to achieve. She has had many successes both in her academic life and sporting career.
"All of these are due to her total commitment, determination, hard work and complete dedication to succeed. She never ceases to amaze us and I am bursting with pride at both of my children’s many successes.”
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